March 4, 2014

"The Ice Dragon" Returns

Good news everyone!

Yes, I will start 'announcement' posts
in that fashion from now on...anyway, I was browsing Chapters, a
national bookstore / book seller up here in Canada, when I noticed that
George R.R. Martin's
Ice Dragon book is being republished (a new edition?) in
October of this year. I know nothing of the release, other than ISBN and
release date, which is on the 21st.

The Ice Dragon is a great story, and worthwhile 'companion' to
A Song of Ice and Fire, much the same way that The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a great companion to the Harry Potter series (especially
Deathly Hallows); or Tales of the Perilous Realm to
some of Tolkien's tales. Great as a bed time story for close to when
children begin to move on from being read to before bed, to when they
begin to read books on their own accord. Of course,
the book isn't just for children. I did a review of it [last
December??] and used that book as a great example for the existence of
e-readers, in that at the time (and for a while before)
The Ice Dragon was out of print.

It seems that this year we will see some George R.R. Martin releases, and re-releases with the possibility of
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (first three Dunk and Egg tales), The World of Ice and Fire, and a few others which are sure to be announced through the year. And, you never know -
The Winds of Winter (Book Six of A Song of Ice and Fire) could still be released this year.

There is also the paperback release of
Dangerous Women, paperback of A Feast for Crows with the HBO poster art of season four of
Game of Thrones as the cover, the 'National Geographic' covers of the existing (and future?)
Ice and Fire books by Harper, for instance.

Here is the info for the Oct. 2014 release of
The Ice Dragon: (yes you can pre-order, hence the 'good news!'). I'll post more info closer to, or day of, release.

ISBN - 10: 0765378779
ISBN - 13: 9780765378774

The ice dragon was a creature of legend and
fear, for no man had ever tamed one. When it flew overhead, it left in
its wake desolate cold and frozen land. But Adara was not afraid. For
Adara was a winter child, born during the worst
freeze that anyone, even the Old Ones, could remember.

Adara could not remember the first time she had seen the ice dragon. It
seemed that it had always been in her life, glimpsed from afar as she
played in the frigid snow long after the other children had fled the
cold. In her fourth year she touched it, and in
her fifth year she rode upon its broad, chilled back for the first
time. Then, in her seventh year, on a calm summer day, fiery dragons
from the North swooped down upon the peaceful farm that was Adara's
home. And only a winter child--and the ice dragon who
loved her--could save her world from utter destruction.